Organic Recycling FAQs

Organic Recycling FAQs

Have questions about Glendale’s organics recycling program? Find answers to common questions about food scraps, yard trimmings, sorting requirements, and how to use your green cart correctly.

All food scraps (bread, fruit, vegetables, meat, etc.) and food-soiled paper products (napkins, paper plates, etc.) should be secured in a clear bag and then placed in your organics cart along with loose yard trimmings

Any household clear bag will work as long as the contents are visible. No special plastic, compostable, or biodegradable bag is required.

The materials from your organics cart are sent to a transfer facility where food scraps are separated from the yard trimmings and inspected for contamination. Food scraps are transported to a processing facility where they are either used to generate electricity via anaerobic digestion or made into compost. Yard trimmings are taken to a separate facility and turned into mulch or compost. For more information about organics recycling, email us at Recycle@GlendaleCA.gov or watch this video.

Many paper products have a waxy lining or plastic coating that cannot be processed by our facilities. Any paper products, such as beverage cups or take-out containers, must be placed in the trash.

The food-soiled bottom half of pizza boxes can be separated and placed in the organics recycling cart (bagging is not required). The clean part of the pizza box can be placed in the recycling cart. If you need further clarification, email us at Recycle@GlendaleCA.gov.

All clear bags used to collect food scraps are broken apart and sent to the landfill after arriving at their final processing destination.

Each Glendale resident can pick up an organics recycling pail from the Public Works Integrated Waste office. Request a free organics recycling pail here or email Recycle@GlendaleCA.gov. Bags will not be provided.

Shredded paper is difficult to recycle at a recycling center. Once ripped open, the materials are more likely to scatter. Bag your shredded paper in a clear bag and place it into the organics cart for its best chance at being recycled. All shredded paper should be free of staples, tape, and window envelopes.

Tea bags are not accepted in the organics recycling cart because they do not fully decompose. Tea bags are made of a variety of materials such as bleached paper, plastic or nylon and are often sealed with glue and other chemicals. Visual inspections of tea bags are impossible, so unless you are confident that the tea bag and its materials are completely decomposable, it is better to default on not placing tea bags in the organics cart.

Bagging is required because food scraps and food-soiled paper products are sorted at the transfer station in order to be processed separately from yard trimmings. At this time, bagging food scraps and food-soiled paper products is the way materials can be sorted at the transfer station.

Missed Cart Pickup

If your organics, recycling, or trash cart was not emptied:

  1. Check for a notice or tag left by the driver.
  2. Confirm that your cart was placed correctly (not blocked or overfilled).
  3. Submit a Missed Pickup Request*.

The City will return for verified missed collections.

Request or Repair a Cart

Please keep in mind:

  • Additional fees apply when requesting extra or larger trash carts. To make changes, please call the Integrated Waste Management office at (818) 548-3916.
  • If your cart can be repaired, it will be fixed rather than replaced.
  • Organics and Recycling carts are only available in the 96-gallon size.

Hazardous Items & E-Waste

Hazardous waste and electronic waste cannot go in any curbside cart. Find out where to safely drop off items like batteries, chemicals, electronics, and paint.